More than 63 persons were dead in a stampede occurred at a temple in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, on March 4th, 2010. All of the 63 bodies found dead were of women and children. The crowd was gathered during a religious festival near Ramjanki Temple in Kunda town in Mangarh area of Pratapgarh district. Around 100 people were injured in this incident.
The tragic incident took place when a free lunch (Bhandara) hosted by Kripaluji Maharaj. The stampede broke out when the ashram gate was collapsed.
I am a senior dermatology consultant based in Delhi and have been regularly visiting Maharajji’s hospitals in Barsana and Mangarh to provide free skin services to the poor of the region since the past many years. Maharajji has been quietly doing exemplary work for the upliftment of the downtrodden since the past many years. He has constructed primary, undergraduate and postgraduate schools and colleges for girls in the villages. His hospitals have been providing free medicines and operation facilities for the poor since past many years. God bless him for such humanitarian activities. Blaming a person like him for this very unfortunate incidence is shameful and can be done only by people who have never associated with him. Media is quick to harp upon any unfortunate incidents but never brings forth the good work being done by that individual since the past decades. All this for gaining TRP mileage, at the cost of maligning the image of a Spiritual Master.